Velo en Cascada Curiosity killed the... pumpkin?

OOC! @Kuru 

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Random Event: Anaia, your curiosity gets the better of you and you accidentally get your head trapped inside a pumpkin.

Word Count: 393

It was cloudy when Anaia woke up, and she could see her breath, but she wasn’t as afraid.  Only a week ago she had been charging south, her pace quickening with every frosty morning. But now she wasn’t alone.  Now she had a friend to help her, and who she could help.  They still wanted to go south, but the urgency had faded.

The snowy girl looked over at her monochrome friend, who was sleeping peacefully beside her. She didn’t know how, but he’d managed to make her feel safe.  There were others she’d been with who were stronger, and yet she never felt protected.  With him, though, she felt okay. Everything was going to turn out alright.

Not wanting to wake her sleeping companion, Anaia stretched and headed outside, carefully skirting the water that created a thin curtain in front of the small cave they were staying in.  They’d been lucky to find such a sheltered place. She got a drink from the frigid lake and took a few mouthfuls of the moose they’d found, then headed out to look around the area.  She didn’t want to go far, but she was feeling adventurous today.

A splash of bright orange among the rocks drew her attention, and the pale woman turned towards it. It looked like a large round fruit. Some sort of rodent must have burrowed in it at some point, because there was a giant hole in the side.  She sniffed it cautiously.  Whatever had done it wasn’t there now, but maybe it had left something behind?

Without really thinking, Anaia pushed her head into the fruit, nosing around its gooey insides for any sort of treat. There wasn’t anything; just slightly rancid seeds. The pulp in her face fur was irritating, and the girl didn’t like not being able to see.  It was a tight fit, after all.

There was one problem.  She couldn’t get her head out. She yanked her body back, but only succeeded in hurting her neck.  She let out a high-pitched keen of terror.  She couldn’t see anything.  She couldn’t defend herself if something attacked her.  She couldn’t even open her mouth to call for help. Ash was still asleep in the cave; he wouldn’t think to come up here looking for her, would he?

How was she going to get out of this one?!

"Speech"  Thought

Word count: 359

Chilly breeze ran over Kuru's flanks. He shivered and scooched closer to where his friend should be. His paws met with empty air, and his eyes snapped open.

She's gone! Panic began to quicken his heart, but Kuru shook his head. She must not have wanted to wake me, he guessed. Maybe she's hunting.

He couldn't help a quick anticipatory wag for that. For all the trouble he gave her, the white wolf was a good hunter. Once she'd gotten her strength up, she'd proven she could at least match Kuru's skill any day.

"I bet she's out finding the tastiest prey, and just being impressive all around," the younger man predicted.

The ground where his companion had slept still had a little warmth; she couldn't have left too long ago. I bet I can catch up!

Kuru charged from the cave and scrabbled over rocks that led to a stretch of flatter ground. He couldn't avoid getting dripped on a bit. Kuru just shook the water off, scanning for white among the greens and browns.

"Nothing yet," he thought aloud. She wasn't fishing. Well, we haven't even finished our big find, the wolf recalled. His friend probably ate some of that before she padded off.

"So if I find that moose, I can track her scent!" he barked triumphantly. As he said it, he traced a path back to the mountainous creature. Yep, it held a fresh scent of Kuru's snowy friend, along with the stale.

Kuru put muzzle to ground and followed the scent trail. The other wolf hadn't seemed to be doing anything specific, judging by her zigzaggy path. But it led ultimately up the sloped earth, to a rocky area.

The trail became less clear, so Kuru took a moment to look for any other sign of his friend. Worry crept under his fur when no clues jumped out.

The trail was freshest where he stood, so the smaller wolf couldn't be far off. If she's hunting, I hope she forgives me for this...

Kuru took a breath and howled. "Not-Spirit-Wolf! Are you there?"

"Speech" Thought

OOC! 

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Word Count: 

Anaia' s neck was starting to hurt. The strange orange fruit was holding her head at an odd angle. She couldn't sit down, stand up, or lay down without twisting her head oddly. She whined, fur pickling as she imagined something sneaking up on her.

Suddenly a cry pierced the air. Her friend was looking for her. I'm over here, Ash-brain! She thought, struggling against the offending fruit. She let out another keen, trying to whine as loudly as she could with her jaws clamped shut. It was starting to get very hard to breathe. I WILL be a spirit before long if he doesn't find me...!

"Speech"  Thought

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

Word count: 120

A high whine carried to Kuru's swiveling ears. The sound seemed urgent, almost desperate. It might just be the wind, but then, it might not. The gray man took his best guess at the place of the noise's origin and charged straight ahead.

He strained to hear another sound like it. Kuru paused on top of a large, fairly flat stone. He found himself panting, and his heart beat like a rabbit's. Mild concern was rapidly becoming real fear; his friend might be in danger, and he couldn't find her!

"Speak, friend!" Kuru yelped. "I'm coming!" He squeezed his eyes shut, focused all his attention to the sounds around him, and prayed the white wolf was safe.

"Speech" Thought

OOC! 

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Word Count: 

Though she hadn't thought it possible, Anaia's vision was getting darker and she felt her legs growing weak. She thrashed, trying to make any sort of sound that wouldn't be muted by this death trap she found herself in.

Ash's voice came again, closer this time. She cried out again, scrabbling at the fruit to try and free her head. The thing did nothing but rock in place. Her neck was throbbing now, and her smashed nose was beginning to go numb. Just My luck to survive starvation to be killed by a stupid plant! She thought furiously. Hurry up and find me, Ash!

"Speech"  Thought

Word count: 108

Thumps and scratches drew Kuru's attention to one side. He picked his way through a group of rocks. A familiar pale shape appeared. Ice jerked and bumped against rocks, her movements weak. Where the wolf's white head should be was a...pumpkin?

She was suffocating! "Hold still!" Kuru commanded. His voice came out rougher than intended, but that didn't matter now! He scrambled in front of the distressed wolf and hooked his claws into the soft orange flesh of the offending fruit. "I need you to walk backwards and pull," the gray wolf instructed.

With a grunt, Kuru dug his hind paws into the ground and pulled.

"Speech" Thought

OOC! My timing xD

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Word Count: 

The ground started to tilt and spin beneath Anaia's feet, and she struggled to keep from falling over and she struggled. Then - finally - her friend's voice spoke from right outside the trap, commanding her to hold still. She froze as he instructed her, then let out a quiet whine to show she understood.

She planted her paws and shoved backwards, using the last of her remaining strength to escape. Her head popped free, sending the pale girl tumbling backwards. She gasped for breath, weakly trying to stand up as she panted. The stench of the fruit still filled her nose, and she could see that her muzzlebl was stained the same shade of orange. Her pelt felt sticky and with dismay she realized her entire head was probably covered in the goop.

After she finaly caught her breath, hiccuping sobs started to shake her. She was so embarrassed, and she had been so scared. Feeling was returning to her nose and it now thronged angrily after spending so long smashed against the back of the fruit. Why do these things always happen to me?

"Speech"  Thought

Word count: 243

Kuru lurched backwards and crashed to the ground. The pumpkin wrenched itself from his claws. Pain throbbed in the wolf's head and claws, but he hardly felt it. He got to shaky feet and glanced back at his friend. She was standing. Oh, thank stars.

A worm of sensation crawled up the dark wolf's chest. He tried using humor to dislodge it: "You've uh, got something on your...face," he said. He trailed off as the feeling grew stronger. All at once he realized what it was. Kuru turned his head to the side at the last moment, and vomited.

He retched, out of fear and relief, and the awful stench rolling off the rotting pumpkin. Whimpers caught his attention once his belly had emptied its contents. Kuru turned back to see Ice's body shaking with sobs.

"I-I'm sorry," he began, joining his friend but halting before he reached her. "I tried to find you faster--that must've been terrifying," the wolf empathized. He was still struggling to regulate his own breathing.

Kuru tried to think of something else to say, to make her feel better. No words would help if it were me, though, he realized. So he stayed silent.

The gray wolf's legs hadn't stopped shaking. He sat on the cold ground, and tried to think of anything besides what had almost happened to his companion. She's here.
She's safe. It's okay. You're going to be okay...

"Speech" Thought

OOC! ALL THE BLOODY FEELS

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Word Count: 

Anaia heard her friend wretching, but was too busy trying to keep breathing and not lose her own meal to help. There wasn't anything she could do anyway. When she started crying, he apologized and started to come towards her. He stopped and sat down instead, watching her with a concerned expression.

Though she was still struggling to even remain upright, the snowy girl crawled towards her friend and nudged up against him, craving the comfort of contact. After so long alone, it was almost strange hiw fast she'd grown used to his presence. It was to the point where she wasn't sure what she'd do if they got separated - beyond just her concern for her own life. He was very much her friend.

"Speech"  Thought